ALTHOLACTONE: A NATURAL LEAD SCAFFOLD AS A POTENTIAL ANTICANCER AGENT

摘要

Cancer is one of the most dreaded diseases across the globe. Drug resistance and adverse effects of various classical chemotherapeutic agents are the major challenges for cancer therapy. Cancer treatments with synthetic drugs are associated with severe side effects. Synthetic drugs address symptoms caused by diseases; on the other hand a plant-based medicine usually directs towards aiding body’s own healing process as it is in sync with nature. Natural products and their derivatives can be a promising alternative to existing cancer therapy. Several phytoconstituents have been identified as a valuable source of clinically important anticancer agents. Novel chemical entities and compounds of natural origin have been explored for efficient anticancer activity. Altholactone, a styryl lactone primarily found in Goniothalamus sp., exhibits cytotoxic and antitumor activities. Therefore, an attempt has been made to summarize altholactone analogues. Its structure-activity relationship (SAR) is suggested as a potent anticancer drug candidate, which may provide a structural framework to design and develop a novel anticancer drug in the future.